This application claims a priority based on German Applications DE 100 60 645.8, filed on Dec. 6, 2000 and DE 101 25 389.3, filed on May 23, 2001 and the contents of these priority applications are incorporated by reference herein.
This invention concerns a laryngoscope with a socket mountable on a handle, a spatula blade attached to the socket and a light conductor tube having proximal and distal end portions, with the proximal end portion of the light conductor tube being removably mounted in a cavity extending through the socket, while the distal end portion engages in a snapping attachment on the spatula blade.
Laryngoscopes serve particularly for introducing tubes for artificial breathing in air pipes of patients. For illumination of the throat cover area and the vocal chords, apparatus having fiber optic light guides are preferred. So that durability of the entire laryngoscope spatula is not determined by the relatively short lifespan of the light guides contained therein, laryngoscope spatulas with changeable light guide parts have been developed. These have the advantage that if, because of aging, light transmission of the light guide bundle falls below a particular threshold, the light guide tube is simply replaced by a new light guide tube. Such a laryngoscope spatula is disclosed in European Patent EP 0 586 972 B1.
According to European Patent EP 0 586 972 B1, a narrow side opening is provided in a socket of a laryngoscope spatula into which a light guide tube can be laterally placed. A sideward release of the light guide tube is, in this regard, prevented in that an enlarged area of the light guide tube engages in an enlarged area of the opening, with a breadth of the side opening being smaller than the breadth of the enlarged area of the light guide tube. The light guide tube has, in this regard, at an end of the enlarged area a tube flange, which serves as a stop during an insertion movement. Such an embodiment of the light guide tube is installed, according to European Patent EP 0 586 972 B1, by one first moving a small breadth area sidewardly through the small side opening and then inserting it lengthwise until engagement of the tube flange, and then by pivoting approximately 90 degrees to fix it in an end position. a proximal facing end of the light guide tube extends, in this regard, out from the socket.
It is detrimental that for such a laryngoscope spatula the construction of the part of the light guide tube to be mounted in the side socket opening, which has a step-wise structure with three breadths, is so expensive; and also, that there is a relatively complicated learning-intensive procedure for mounting the light guide tube. Further, the sensitive proximal facing end of the light guide, which extends out of the socket, is exposed to mechanical loads during fabrication and disassembly of the structure, which could lead to a damaging of the facing surface of the light guide.
It is an object of this invention to provide a laryngoscope with a changeable light guide tube of the type set forth in the opening paragraph above that avoids the disadvantages set forth above and therefore allows a particularly uncomplicated replacement procedure for replacing the light guide tube.
According to principles of this invention, the light guide tube has, throughout its length, a substantially uniform permanent breadth, which allows a particularly uncomplicated fabrication of the light guide tube. This also allows the proximal facing end of the light guide to be held within the socket, which assures better mechanical protection for the facing end. Additional advantages and advantageous embodiments of a laryngoscope according to this invention are described and claimed herein.